NAAG Urges DEA and SAMSHA to Extend Telehealth Capabilities for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
A bipartisan group of 45 state attorneys general urge the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to permanently extend telehealth flexibilities after the expiration of the public health emergency for prescribing buprenorphine, one of three Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications for treating opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine…
Public Health and Legal Implications of Flexibilities for Substance Use Treatment During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
The webinar provides the attorney general community and other stakeholders with an update on increased flexibilities in treatment delivery (e.g., telehealth services) for substance use disorder treatment during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights specific policy and legal considerations. Specifically, the webinar provides the following: An overview of the federal-level policies that allow for flexibilities…
Predatory and Unethical Practices in Substance Use Treatment, Part 1
The first training of this series addresses foundational concepts regarding substance use disorders, the treatment landscape, and relevant policy and legal considerations. Participants will also hear from people with lived experiences in navigating substance use treatment for themselves or loved ones including unethical, predatory, and fraudulent practices. The second training in this series, hosted on…
COVID-19 and Its Impacts on Substance Use and Overdose
Provisional Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) data show that U.S. drug overdose deaths increased by 30% in 2020 from the prior year, reaching an all-time high. Increases in overdose deaths were reported for synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl), natural or semi-synthetic opioids (e.g., prescription pain medications), psychostimulants (e.g., methamphetamine), and cocaine. In many ways,…
Recent Congressional Action on Substance Use and What to Expect this Year
On Capitol Hill, there has been a flurry of activity on legislation related to expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder treatment, extending the classification of illicit fentanyl analogues as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and removing barriers to financial services for cannabis-related businesses. As the 117th Congress continues, below is…
NAAG Asks FDA for Progress Update Under the SUPPORT Act
We have witnessed first-hand the devastation that the opioid epidemic has wrought on states in terms of lives lost and the costs it has imposed on our healthcare system and the broader economy.
Attorneys General Push FDA to Examine Progress in Opioid Fight
Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent a letter asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to examine recent progress in the agency’s fight against the opioid epidemic. The bipartisan coalition of state and territory attorneys general is seeking a progress report regarding recent steps taken by the FDA to…
NAAG Endorses Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act
States and localities are on the front line of this crisis and are a large part of winning the battle from both a law enforcement and public health perspective.
Congress Should Pass the SAFE Banking Act
NAAG sent a letter to congressional leadership, urging them to pass the SAFE Banking Act. The bipartisan SAFE Banking Act would protect financial institutions that provide services to companies in the marijuana industry. Although the use of marijuana, both recreationally and medically, is legal in some states and territories, banks may still be held liable…
NAAG Endorses the FIGHT Act
This legislation is crucial to federal and state efforts to curb the opioid epidemic nationally and within each individual state. It is for these reasons that we commend Senators Portman and Manchin for their leadership in bringing forward this important legislation, and we urge you to take up and pass S. 2701 before the DEA’s temporary order expires.
